Polystyrene electric insulating materials



Patented Mar. 30, 1948 POLYSTYRENE ELECTRIC INSULATING MATERIALS Archibald Alan New, London W. C. 2, England, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application June 17, 1942, Serial No. 447,475. In Great Britain July 15, 1941 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to electrical insulating material and more particularly to electrical in- :ulating material comprising polystyrene.

By the polymerisation of monomeric styrene a series of synthetic resins is formed having a wide range of physical properties, particularly as regards fuslbility and flexibility, the polymers formed at high temperatures being readily fusi. ble, but very brittle when cold, whereas polymers formed at room temperature are infusible and relatively tough. It is well known that all types of polymers of styrene have excellent insulating properties, particularly at very high frequencies cycles per second and above). It is necessary for many electrical purposes, however, that the polystyrene be made appreciably softer and more flexible and also less brittle.

The aromatic hydrocarbons benzene, toluene and xylene, and monomeric styrene all plasticise polystyrene temporarily and do not appreciably alter its electrical properties when used in moderate amounts. They are however unsuitable because of their high vapour pressure which leads to loss of the plasticiser and consequent hardening of the polymerised styrene with the passage of time. Chlorinated diphenyls have also been used for some time as plasticisers for polystyrene, but they have the undesirable eiiect of increasing the alternating current power factor of the resulting plasticised polystyrene many times as compared with that of unplasticised polystyrene.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric insulating material comprising polystyrene to which a full and permanent degree of plasticisation or softening has been imparted, without appreciable deterioration of the electrical properties and more particularly of the alternating current power factor at frequencies of 10 cycles per second or higher.

According to the present invention electrical insulating material comprises polystyrene together with a hydrocarboncompound the molemile of which consists partly of one or more homocyclic rings and partly of aliphatic chains, but with not more than three such chains attached to any one ring, said compound having a molecular weight between 160 and 480, a melting point not higher than 70 C. and a boiling point not less than 240 C.

As certain groups other than hydrocarbon groups produce only a slight deterioration in the electrical properties of the plasticiser, all the derivatives of the above compounds that have a single carboxylic, carboxyllc ester, keto or etheric group or that have two carboxylic. carhoxrfl- Hydrogenated triphenyl methlo ester, keto or etherlc groups arranged symmetrically are also included.

The following are examples of suitable compounds. mixtures of which with polystyrene are electrical insulating materials according to the invention.

Compound Melitlin gaoint Boillilng goiut Diphenylmethane .3 Diphenyipropane Diphenyl'n-butane Diphenyl-n-butane Diphenyl-n-butane- Diphenyl-n-butane 52 dLDiphenyl-n-butane.

D lyl...

27 fill-262. liquid at ordi- 302.

nary temp.

. di-p-tolylethane -p-tolylmetliane Benzyl benzoate II. Benzyl-phenyl-ether 30 liquid at ordi- 270.

nary temp.

ane (prepared by the method of Godchot, Comptes Rendus 147,105? (1908) by using nickel on asbestos as catalyst.

These compounds may be mixed in suitable proportions with polystyrene by adding to styrene before polymerisation, by hot rolling with polystyrene, by hot stirring with polystyrene (with or without pressure and with or without the pres ence of an atmosphere of inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide), or by dissolving along with polystyrene in a mutual solvent and subsequently evaporating the solvent.

As specific examples, the following are given (in all the following examples the polystyrene mentioned is of molecular weight 80,000)

(1) Diphenylmethane can be mixed with polystyrene in all proportions to give a series of mixtures having a wide range of physical properties. When equal amounts by weights are mixed, for example, a thick homogeneous liquid is obtained suitable for the impregnation of fibrous materials or for filling spaces associated with electrical apparatus. Its power factor at 10 cycles per second is 0.0003.

(2) grams of one of the ditolyls mentioned in. the table mixed with 100 grams of polystyrene by heating and. stirring yields a thick colourless by heating with 90 grams of polystyrene gave a solid mixture slightly softer than polystyrene and having a power factor of 0.0003 at 10 cycles per second.

(3) 100 grams of 1.2 diphenyl-n-butane mixed with 100 grams of polystyrene gave a very thick colourless liquid having a power factor of 0.0003 at 10" cycles per second. 10 grams of 1.2 diphenyl-n-butane gave a colourless resin slightly softer than the original polystyrene and having a power factor of 0.0003 at 10 cycles per second.

(4) 100 grams of 1.1 di-p-tolyl ethane mixed with 100 grams of polystyrene yielded a very thick colourless liquid having a power factor of 0.0003 at 10 cycles per second. 10 grams of 1.1 di-ptolyl ethane mixed with 90 grams of polystyrene yielded a colourless resin having a power factor of 0.0003 at 10 cycles per second.

What. is claimed is:

A solid insulating material that comprises nine parts by weight of a styrene polymer having a molecular weight of 80,000 and homogeneously 4 distributed therein one part by weight of 2:2- ditolyl, said insulating material being characterized by having a power factor not greatly in excess of 0.0003 at 10' cycles and by having substantially permanently unvarying plasticity.

ARCHIBALD ALAN NEW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,617,237 Davidson Feb. 8, 1927 1,891,601 Lawson Dec. 20, 1932 2,161,558 Coleman et a1 June 6, 1939 2,193,613 Alexander Mar. 12, 1940 2,213,201 Britten et a1, Sept. 3, 1940 2,272,996 Warner et a1 Feb. 10, 1942 2,285,562 Britton et al. June 9, 1942 2,056,796 Macht Oct. 6, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 491,576 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1936 

